Humidifier



Jan. 18, 1966 c. J. SMITH 3,229,910

HUMIDIFIER Filed May 10, 1965 F G 5 INVENTOR.

CLAYTON J. SMITH United States Patent IFIE My invention is directedtoward humidifiers adapted for use with hot water heating systemsemploying finned pipes or coils as radiators of heat.

It is an object of my invention to provide a new and improved humidifierwhich can be secured to any finned pipe or coil to increase thehumidity, during the heating season, in the region to be heated by saidcoil.

Another object is to provide a new and improved humidifier of thecharacter indicated wherein the water supplied thereto and releasedtherefrom is automatically regulated as required by the demands of thehumidifier.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a new and improvedhumidifier of the character indicated which can be manufactured easilyand inexpensively.

All of the foregoing and still further objects and advantages of myinvention will now be explained with reference both to thisspecification and to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side cross sectional view of my humidifier in operative use;

FIG. 2 is a detail cross sectional view of the valve and float employedin my invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the 'exterior of the water chamber usedin my humidifier;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the water release section of myhumidifier; and

FIG. 5 is a front view of a housing supporting both my humidifier and anassociated heating coil.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-5, there is shown a horizontally extendingfinned heating coil secured for exam ple to the baseboard of a wall, oneend of coil 10 being coupled to a vertical supply pipe 12 through whichhot water is fed into the coil for heating. A thin hollow feed line 14having a check valve 16 therein bleeds a small stream of hot water frompipe 12 and feeds the water vertically upward to the bottom of apressure regulator 18. Tubing 20 connects the top of regulator 18downward through the top of a flat narrow hollow copper tank 22 to theinlet port 24 of a valve 26 resting on top of the floor of the tank.Water feeds upward from the inlet port through the orifice of a V shapedopening 28 in an outlet port of the valve and out through the sidesthereof into the tank. A vertical steel needle 30 has a bottom taperedpoint adapted to be moved into and out of registration with opening 28which acts as a valve seat. Needle 30 extends upward through the valvebody. The upper end 32 of needle 30 is threaded and receives nut 34. Awasher 36 is soldered to the bottom of nut 34 and presses downward onthe top end of a compression spring 38 circumferentially disposed aboutthe upper part of needle 30. The lower end of the spring rests on top ofthe valve body. A bolt 40 extends horizontally outward from nut 36through one end of a curved member 42 to a securing nut 44. The otherend of curved member 42 is secured by a cotter pin 46 to one end of ahorizontal float arm 48-.

A brass rod 50 extends vertically downward from arm 48 to a horizontalfloat 52. Consequently water fiows into the tank. When the water reachesa preset maximum level, the float arrangement forces the point of needle30 into the seat to cutoff the flow of water. When the water levelfalls, the float arrangement raises needle 30 and permits more water toflow into the tank.

Patented Jan. 18, 1966 Tank 22 has an outlet drain 54 connected to oneend of a horizontal tube 56 extending over coil 10. The other end oftube 56 is sealed. Water flows by gravity from the tank into the tube.Tube 56 has an elongated slot 58 extending along the top surface of thepipe horizontally. An elongated member 60 of fibrous material acts as acapillary or torch. Member 60 has in cross section the shape of a Y, thebottom leg 62 of which rests in slot 58 and picks up water from thetube. The inclined legs 64 and 66 release water to the hot air risingfrom the coil whereby the humidity is increased.

Tank 22 can be covered with a mesh screen cover 68.

The entire arrangement can be mounted within a special cover assembly70. The tank and tube can be anchored to the fins of the coil by splitclips soldered on tank and tube. Depending upon the size of the room inwhich my invention is to be placed and also upon the humidityrequirements, extension lengths of tubing can be added to tube 56.

The stainless steel needle valve stem threaded through nut, by turningclockwise or counter-clockwise, can provide an adjustable setting of thewater level. The pressure regulator maintains constant water pressure onthe valve to avoid fluctuating from high to low pressure.

A dirt strainer can be installed in the supply line from heating systemahead of the regulator and needle valve to keep valve seat clean of dirtand scale, and maintain a perfect valve seat.

The water supply to humidifier is supplied olf of radiator to which itserves, eliminating long runs of pipe whereby the water is at boilertemperature of approximately degrees to 210 degrees when entering supplytank.

While I have described my invention with particular reference to thedrawings my protection is to be limited only by the terms of the claimswhich follow.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. In combination with a horizontal, finned heating coil connected to ahot water supply pipe through which hot water flows into said coil, ahumidifier comprising a hollow chamber, a float operated water valve insaid chamber, means to connect said pipe to said valve whereby hot waterflows into said chamber to a level depending upon the setting of thefloat, a hollow pipe sealed at one end and extending horizontally oversaid coil, said hollow pipe having an elongated vertical slot extendingaxially therealong in the top thereof, said chamber having a gravitydrain connection coupled to the other end of said hollow pipe wherebywater flows out of said chamber into said hollow pipe, and meansinserted into said hollow pipe to draw water out of same to release thedrawn water gradually exterior to said pipe, said means being anelongated capillary wick having in cross section the shape of a Y, thebottom leg thereof resting in said slot, the top portion thereof restingon top of the hollow pipe.

2. A humidifier as set forth in claim 1 wherein said valve comprisesinlet and outlet ports, said supply pipe being coupled to said inletport, a member adapted for movement into and out of registration of theoutlet port to close and open said valve, and a horizontal float coupledto said member to control the valve action.

3. A humidifier as set forth in claim 2 wherein said member isvertically mounted in said valve and has a tapered point in the lowerend thereof, said outlet port having a similarly tapered seat adapted toreceive said point.

(References on following page) UNITED STATES PATENTS Smith 237-78 Herr126113 Bowen 126113 Bates 239-44 Moore 237-78 Wahlberg 23778 Woolley2377 8 Gilowitz 23944 Wright 15836.3

JAMES W. WESTHAVER, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT A. DUA, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A HORIZONTAL, FINNED HEATING COIL CONNECTED TO AHOT WATER SUPPLY PIPE THROUGH WHICH HOT WATER FLOWS INTO SAID COIL, AHUMIDIFIER COMPRISING A HOLLOW CHAMBER, A FLOAT OPERATED WATER VALVE INSAID CHAMBER, MEANS TO CONNECT SAID PIPE TO SAID VALVE WHEREBY HOT WATERFLOWS INTO SAID CHAMBER TO A LEVEL DEPENDING UPON THE SETTING OF THEFLOAT, A HOLLOW PIPE SEALED AT ONE END AND EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY OVERSAID COIL, SAID HOLLOW PIPE HAVING AN ELONGATED VERTICAL SLOT EXTENDINGAXIALLY THEREALONG IN THE TOP THEREOF, SAID CHAMBER HAVING A GRAVITYDRAIN CONNECTION COUPLED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID HOLLOW PIPE WHEREBYWATER FLOWS OUT OF SAID CHAMBER INTO SAID HOLLOW PIPE, AND MEANSINSERTED INTO SAID HOLLOW PIPE TO DRAW WATER OUT OF SAME TO RELEASE THEDRAWN WATER GRADUALLY EXTERIOR TO SAID PIPE, SAID MEANS BEING ANELONGATED CAPILLARY WICK HAVING IN CROSS SECTION THE SHAPE OF A Y, THEBOTTOM LEG THEREOF RESTING IN SAID SLOT, THE TOP PORTION THEREOF RESTINGON TOP OF THE HOLLOW PIPE.